In a world brimming with talent and stories, few individuals possess a professional and musical resume quite like Clariece Miller Paulk (’60, University of Chattanooga).
During her time as a student at the University of Chattanooga, before the university joined the University of Tennessee system in 1969, Clariece Miller Paulk stood out as a remarkable musical talent in the graduating class of 1960. She was a member of the
U.C. Concert Ensemble, the U.C. Girls’ Trio and the U.C. Band in addition to showcasing her exceptional piano skills accompanying numerous university events. “What I enjoyed the most was just my piano lessons with Mr. Cadek and the different concerts that I was in,” says Clariece. “And my senior recital. I was half scared to death, but I still enjoyed every minute of it.”
U.C. Concert Ensemble, the U.C. Girls’ Trio and the U.C. Band in addition to showcasing her exceptional piano skills accompanying numerous university events. “What I enjoyed the most was just my piano lessons with Mr. Cadek and the different concerts that I was in,” says Clariece. “And my senior recital. I was half scared to death, but I still enjoyed every minute of it.”
Her piano professor, Dr. Harold Cadek, who served as the Cadek Conservatory music director for the university, lauded Clariece as “an incredible pianist, accompanist and vocalist.”
After graduating, Clariece would go on to found and direct the Clariece Paulk School for the Performing Arts, nurturing artists in the realms of dance, drama and music. In addition, she established and held the role of Executive Producer at Cathedral Records.
Alongside her husband, Rev. Donald Paulk, Clariece has spent most of her musical journey in her faith community and aimed to bring as much of the arts experience as possible into the weekly services at the churches where she has served including dance and drama. “People don’t know what they like. They like what they know,” Clariece shares. “And so, it was my job in life to expose more kinds of music, especially the people at church, and to involve more of the arts in the worship part of the service.”
Clariece, who currently serves as the Minister of Spirit and Truth Sanctuary in Decatur, Georgia, has seen both professional and personal struggles in her over 62 years of service. From being a worship leader in one of the first truly integrated congregations in the South to leading an untraditional approach to music in worship services coined “From Bach to Rock,” Clariece’s passion was training children to explore the arts and works with students who would go onto to perform in the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and the 1996 Olympic Games opening exercises.
In 2011, Xernona Clayton, a revered civil rights icon and the original founder of the Trumpet Awards, bestowed upon Clariece the Trumpet Award for Spiritual Enlightenment. In her moving tribute, Clayton acknowledged the remarkable achievements of Clariece, highlighting the focus of inclusivity in her faith community.
Even amidst the pandemic in 2020, Clariece and her husband, Don, started a daily Facebook series titled “The Healing Power of Music.” Having stemmed from her experience quarantining at home and her belief that music does heal, she would record more than 150 songs for people to enjoy. “We only planned to do that for, like, maybe two months,” Clariece recalls. “And the responses started coming in like you got me through my dad’s death, you got me through Covid myself.”
In April of 2023, Clariece was inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. College of Preachers and Laity at Morehouse College. “I’ve had so many surprises in my life,” she says. “This honor that I’ve received from Morehouse and the Trumpet award, and just all my life, just very, very surprised by the things that people have done for me.” This recognition is particularly remarkable because Clariece, along with her son, Pastor D.E. Paulk, are the only mother and son duo to be honored.
From her impressive achievements during her time as a student at the University of Chattanooga to her instrumental role in the incorporation of the arts in her ministry, Clariece has left an indelible mark on the musical and spiritual landscape for many.